Today-Sunday, Dudy Noble Field

Matthew Britton and MSU begin a series against Arkansas today.

Setup pitch

Early this season, the talk around the baseball team dealt with comparisons to last season, when Mississippi State went 17-0 before losing its first game. This year it lost the season opener and, through eight games, was a .500 team. Perhaps the expectations were too high for a team that went to the College World Series finals a year ago.

But as the 16th-ranked Bulldogs enter their third Southeastern Conference series of the year, they are ahead of last year's pace in the Southeastern Conference.

Today, MSU hosts Arkansas with a chance for its third SEC series win. The Bulldogs didn't win their third conference series until April 20 last year.

Since losing the SEC opener against Georgia, Mississippi State is 4-1 against league opponents. It also reignited some of the come-from-behind magic fans witnessed last year. The Bulldogs trailed heading into the bottom of the seventh on Tuesday against Southeast Missouri State. Two innings later, MSU had its first walk-off win of the year.

The Bulldogs look to carry that momentum into this weekend.

What's at stake

Arkansas enters the series as one of the hottest teams in the SEC, winning seven of its last eight games. At 3-3, the Razorbacks are a game behind the teams in a three-way tie for first place. As teams enter the third conference series on their schedule some separation should follow.

Five teams are tied atop the SEC East at 3-3. A game separates all seven teams in the West.

Mississippi State lost two of three last year in Arkansas. It was the third straight series loss for the Bulldogs. Still, MSU bounced back for a 16-14 SEC record.